Police arrest Oni’s aide for ‘disrupting’ Ekiti teachers’ test

The police in Ekiti State yesterday arrested an aide of ousted “Governor” Segun Oni, Mr. Lere Olayinka, who allegedly disrupted the Teachers Development Needs Assessment (TDNA) test at the Ola-Oluwa Muslim Grammar School centre in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

Olayinka allegedly led a group of suspected thugs, who threw stones at the teachers in the examination hall.

Police spokesman Victor Babayemi confirmed the arrest.

Babayemi said: “As the organ of the government charged with the responsibility of maintaining law and order, our men were posted to various centres to ensure that the on-going TDNA is without hitch.

“Consequently, Lere Olayinka was arrested for conducting himself in a manner likely to cause a breach of public peace at a TDNA centre. He is presently being interrogated. The outcome of the interrogation/investigation would determine what the next action would be.

“We reiterate that we are doing our job professionally without sentiments. Anybody who contravenes the law would be made to face the music, irrespective of his/her status or political affinity.”

In a statement, Governor Kayode Fayemi’s media aide, Mr. Olayinka Oyebode, said Olayinka’s arrest has upheld the government’s position that some disgruntled politicians were at the root of various labour crises in the state.

Oyebode said: “The state government raised the alarm recently that some politicians were responsible for various allegations and protests by the National Union of Local Government Employee (NULGE).

“It also alerted the public to plans by some politicians to frustrate the TDNA by spreading falsehood and harassing teachers, who already had the conviction that the test would impact positively on their careers. The arrest has vindicated our position.

“It is needless to say that Olayinka’s physical attack on the teachers was part of the calculated attempt by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his pay masters to frustrate the TDNA and other government policies. Apparently piqued by the determination of the teachers to take the test, he resorted to physical attack.

“While we hail the police for rising to their responsibility of maintaining law and order, we hope they will, through their investigation, unmask the masterminds of the plot and bring them to book.

“The Fayemi administration is committed to maintaining the peace that has been the hallmark of the state since the inception of this administration. We are also committed to policies that will enhance development in all sectors. Teachers and indeed workers are assured of adequate security as they go about their work.”

The turnout of teachers for the test was low.

Less than 100 of the 6,000 teachers expected for the test turned up.

At the Ola-Oluwa Muslim Grammar School, over 3,000 teachers were expected, but only 35, including the Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), Mr. Sola Adigun, and executive members of the union, wrote the test.

At the African Church Comprehensive High School, Ikere Ekiti, only 28 teachers wrote the test.

No one turned out in Omuo, Ido and Aramoko Ekiti.

There was heavy presence of security personnel around the centres in Ado-Ekiti.

Commissioner for Education Mrs. Eniola Ajayi said: “We thank God that some teachers wrote the test, which is aimed at developing human capital in our education sector.

“You could see the level of failure recorded in the West African School Certificate Examination (WASCE) this year. This is to tell you the level of rot in the system, which we were able to expose by canceling the so-called miracle centres.”

Commissioner for Labour and Human Capital Development Wole Adewumi said:

“We have told the teachers that the competency test is not meant to ridicule, demote or sack them, but to develop their skills and make Ekiti great.”